Rosmont Cooks is a community-based healthy cooking program located in "the Neck" area of Charleston, SC. Our mission is simple- show people, through a hands on cooking experience, that you can cook quick and healthy food for the same price as a fast food value meal.

Monday, May 6, 2013

Yes, I had never thought of a meatloaf muffin until I came across a recipe for it online and it turned out really good. Even better, I was able to get some vegetables, zuchinni and carrots, in the muffins as well which was an added bonus. We also cooked sweet potato chips and took the packaged crescent rolls from the grocery store and rolled them up with cut up strawberries and chocolate chips for dessert with homemade whip cream on top. It was great to watch the kids whip up the heavy cream and see how it changed over time to the whip cream they all know and love.
During our class session, we played a game and reviewed what we learned in prior classes concerning the food pyramid. They had to answer questions from me for prizes that revolved around the 5 areas of the food pyramid and naming different foods and having them tell me where they fit in the pyramid.
Where are the pictures you ask? My excuse for this class is having 12 kids, 3 volunteers and kids with lots of energy meant that my time and attention were taken in by the present moment not the picture-taking moment. Note to self, next time appoint a class picture taker...

What is my title talking about? Well, it was the menu for this week with the parents and seniors: Sauteed and Steamed Kale, Lentil Salad and Turkey Burgers. And yes, we had class even though there is no picture proof, I just got so excited talking about lentils and kale that I totally forgot to take pictures in either class!
We started class by discussing the many health benefits of kale and discussed an alternative to cooking greens that differed from the usual Southern style of greens cooked in seasoned water and ham hock. We cooked our kale with olive oil and infused the oil with garlic and then steamed the kale over high heat with lightly salted water. Everyone was excited with this new way of cooking greens and were eager to try this technique at home.
We also discussed lentils and their long history as one of the earliest farmed foods with a history that dates back an estimated 9,000 to 13,000 years ago. We discussed their reference in the Bible and how they are a really high source of protein and fiber and discussed the many regions of the world that use lentils in their dishes. A lot of seniors and parents tried fresh cilantro for the first time and we used that in our lentil salad. We also discussed the health benefits of turkey and tried feta cheese which we used crumbled up inside the burgers.
In our class session, while everything was cooking, we reviewed food labels and what to look for when reading a food label. We got into a more detailed conversation about daily values in food labels and what to look for percentage-wise when looking at a label. We also reviewed our 5 food groups and went around the room seeing if we had all eaten from one of the five food groups today and, if so, what we ate. It was great to hear from some of the participants about how much they looked forward to the class each week and how they really like having a chance to gather and talk to other people in the neighborhood each week.